Biopolymer thickener

ABSTRACT

A novel strain of  Lactococcus lactis  subspecies  cremori  (“Ropy 352”) has been identified and isolated. Ropy 352 produces a previously unknown exopolysaccharide (EPS 352) that when expressed or added to milk, imparts highly desirable sensory characteristics to the milk, including making the milk very thick, with a very smooth mouth-feel, and slightly sweet with an obvious “chewable-bite”.

This is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/US01/03404, filed Feb. 2, 2001 which was published in English under PCT Article 21 (2), which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/179,888 filed Feb. 2, 2000 and 60/241,098 filed Oct. 16, 2000.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This invention was made in part with government support under The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (i.e. Dairy Management Inc., DMI) and USDA/CSREES Special Research Grant. Accordingly the government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The field of the invention relates to biopolymers, enzymes that are contained within biopolymer synthesis pathways, nucleic acid sequences encoding such enzymes, and to organisms that make such biopolymers, wherein such biopolymers may be used to thicken liquids including liquid foods, as well as an additive to pharmaceuticals, beauty products, and coating agents.

BACKGROUND

Microbial polysaccharides are used for a broad variety of industrial applications including food production, chemical production (e.g., detergents, cosmetics, paints, pesticides, fertilizers, flocculants, film formers, lubricants and explosives), pharmaceutical production and waste treatment. In food production, microbial polysaccharides are commonly used as thickening, gelling and homogenizing agents. When added to a liquid, microbial biopolymers contribute to viscosity, emulsion stabilization, surface tension and adhesiveness. Thickening applications are particularly important in the production of solid and semi-solid food products including dairy and non-dairy foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, salad dressings, cheese, and ice-cream. Thickening of liquid foods is desirable because of consumer preference for such thickened foods, which have a characteristic texture and “mouth feel.” Thickening of liquid drinks is also desirable for use with elderly people who frequently have problems swallowing low-viscosity liquids (e.g., milk and fruit juices) due to an impaired swallowing reflex. The addition of thickener to such drinks facilitates swallowing and reduces aspiration of liquid into the trachea.

Currently the only microbial polysaccharides used to any appreciable extent in industry are dextran, produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides, xanthan gum, produced by Xanthomonas campestris, and gellan gum, produced by Aureomonas elodea ATCC31461 (Crescenzi, Biotech. Prog. 11:251-259, 1995). Xanthan gum was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in foods in 1969. Today it is used in many foods such as bakery fillings, canned foods, frozen foods, pourable dressings, sauces, gravies, processed cheeses, and juice drinks. Xanthan gum is also used in oil recovery, pharmaceuticals, beauty products, and coating agents.

Unfortunately, Xanthomonas campestris is a less than ideal source of polysaccharides for use in food production, since it is known to be pathogenic, and the biopolymer it produces has long been suspected of being pyrogenic (fever-inducing). Although xanthan gum is classified as “Generally Regarded as Safe” (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Xanthomonas campestris is not.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are classified GRAS, and have been used for centuries in fermented dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and sour-cream. A characteristic of some LAB in food production processes is their production of exopolysaccharides (EPS). EPS provide improved viscosity and mouth-feel while also preventing syneresis (separation) in fermented food products. Despite their ability to produce EPS, LAB are not generally used as sources of thickening agents (either within a milk-based culture or as a source of exogenous EPS) because the EPS-positive phenotype is readily lost (Dierkesen et al., J. Dairy Sci. 80(8):1528-1536, 1997). The LAB strain described in this disclosure stably produces EPS when cultivated on appropriate media.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A natural isolate of Lactococcus lactis, named “Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352,” hereinafter referred to simply as “Ropy 352”, has been isolated. This strain contains a plasmid (EPS plasmid) that encodes at least 13 active genes (FIG. 3). The enzymes encoded by these genes allow the bacteria to produce a previously unknown exopolysaccharide (“EPS 352”). Hence, in addition to providing EPS 352, the present invention also provides the nucleic acid sequences and the corresponding amino acid sequences of 13 of the open reading frames (ORFs; SEQ ID NO: 10) found on the EPS 352 plasmid.

EPS 352, when expressed in or added to milk or other liquids, imparts desirable sensory characteristics to the milk, including making the milk very thick, with a very smooth mouth-feel, and slightly sweet with an obvious “chewable-bite.” Ropy 352 producing EPS, or EPS 352 alone may be added to any milk-based or non milk-based product, including any liquid food product, to produce these sensory characteristics. In the Ropy 352 strain, the biosynthesis of EPS 352 is controlled by genes carried outside the chromosome on a plasmid of about 32 kb (“EPS 352 plasmid”). Precedent predicts that the EPS 352 genes are linked in an operon like fashion. The EPS 352 plasmid has been isolated from the Ropy 352 organism, and the plasmid has been transformed into a plasmid free nonropy laboratory strain of Lactococcus, MG1363. (Gasson, J. Bacteriol. 154:1-9, 1983.) The plasmid encoded EPS 352 genes are expressed in the transformed strain, producing a ropy EPS, which imparts desirable sensory characteristics (as detailed below) to milk-based media.

One aspect of the invention provides the isolated Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352 organism (Ropy 352 ) as deposited under the rules of the Budapest Treaty, USDA-ARS-NCAUR-NRRL deposit number NRRL B-30229. Ropy 352 can be added to liquids (e.g., solids, semi-solids and gels) to cause thickening. Such thickening is desirable for use in creating products such as food products, beauty care products, and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the Ropy 352 organism can be used to produce food products by fermentation of a food substrate with a culture of the Ropy 352 organism. Accordingly, the invention also provides the products made through the addition of the Ropy 352 culture.

Another aspect of the invention provides the purified exopolysaccharide EPS 352. EPS 352 can be added to liquids to produce food products as well as other products such as pharmaceuticals. Examples of such liquids include, liquid food substrates, such as milk-based liquids, soy-based liquids, fruit juice, and whey-based liquids. Accordingly the invention also provides the products made through the addition of EPS 352.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides the plasmid (contained in the deposited bacterial strain NRRL B-30229) that contains the open reading frames that encode the enzymes necessary for the production of EPS 352. This plasmid is approximately 32 kb in size. The identification of the plasmid allows for the production of EPS 352 by transgenic organisms that have been transformed with the EPS 352 plasmid. Furthermore, these transgenic organisms can be added to liquids to generate food products.

Another aspect of the invention provides methods of using the individual enzymes encoded by the EPS 352 plasmid for the production of modified exopolysaccharides. Used in these methods the enzymes derived from the nucleic acid sequence of the EPS 352 plasmid can be combined with other genes that code for exopolysaccharide biosynthetic pathways enzymes such that the exopolysaccharide produced is distinct from that of the disclosed EPS 352. Furthermore, these methods can be practiced in vitro or in vivo. (Stingele et al., Mol. Microbiol. 32(6):1287-1295, 1999; Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(11):6347-6453, 1999; Stingele et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(20):6354-6360, 1999; and Klerrebezem et al., Antonie van Leewenhoek 76:357-365, 1999).

Another aspect of the invention provides methods of using EPS 352 in various pharmaceutical formulations. Used in this context EPS 352 can be incorporated dry into pill formulations or into liquids to increase the viscosity of the formulation and facilitate delivery of the active ingredients.

Another aspect of the invention provides methods of using EPS 352 in various beauty products, such as hair shampoos, hair bleaching compositions, hair conditioners, hair gels and mousse, skin creams, nail varnishes, facial foundation, skin tanning gels, hair removers, shaving creams and in pill coatings, children's products (i.e., crayons, non-toxic glues), in addition to various industrial processes. (Hilger et al., J. Environ. Eng. 125(12):1113, 1999 and Shah et al., Appl. Biochem. Biotech. 82(2):81, 1999.)

SEQUENCE LISTING

The nucleic and amino acid sequences listed in the accompanying sequence listing are shown using standard letter abbreviations for nucleotide bases, and three-letter code for amino acids. Only one strand of each nucleic acid sequence is shown, but the complementary strand is understood to be included by any reference to the displayed strand.

SEQ ID NO: 1 shows the nucleic acid sequence of a portion of the EPS 352 plasmid.

SEQ ID NO: 2 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “R” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 3 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “X” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 4 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “A” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 5 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “B” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 6 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “C” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 7 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “D” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 8 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “E” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 9 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “O” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 10 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “P” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 11 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “F” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

SEQ ID NO: 12 shows the nucleic acid sequence encoding Eps “M” and Eps “N.”

SEQ ID NO: 13 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “M” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 12.

SEQ ID NO: 14 shows the amino acid sequence of the enzyme designated “N” in FIG. 4, which is encoded by the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 12.

SEQ ID NO: 15 shows the nucleic acid sequence encoding the enzyme designated “U.”

SEQ ID NO: 16 shows the amino acid sequence of Eps “U,” which is encoded by SEQ ID NO: 15.

SEQ ID NO: 17 shows the amino acid sequence of EpsG that is involved in eps biosynthesis in Lactococcus lactis NIZOB40.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 describes the degree of phosphate protonation. As sodium hydroxide is added to the polysaccharide solution, there is only one inflection in the titration profiles, indicating that the phosphate group in the EPS 352 is in the form of a phosphodiester linkage rather than as the monoester, which would have shown 2 inflection points.

FIGS. 2 A-C shows double stranded sequence data from the EPS 352 plasmid (SEQ ID NO: 12) and the corresponding amino acid sequences named EpsM (SEQ ID NO: 13) and EpsN (SEQ ID NO: 14). The insertion site of the ISS1 element is indicated in EspN and which confers a non-ropy phenotype in Ropy 352, thus linking these two open reading frames to EPS 352 expression.

FIG. 3A shows the alignments of the ORF designated “N” in FIG. 4 (SEQ ID NO: 14) and the ORF designated “M” in FIG. 4 (SEQ ID NO: 13) to each other.

FIG. 3B shows the jalignments of the ORF designated “N” in FIG. 4 (SEQ ID NO: 14) and the ORF designated “M” in FIG. 4 (SEQ. NO: 13) to each other as well as to an enzyme (EpsG; SEQ ID NO: 17) involved in eps biosynthesis in Lactococcus lactis NIZO_B40. The overall identity between ORF “M” and EpsG is 24% and between ORF “N” and EpsG is 25%.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the organization of the genes on the EPS 352 plasmid. The large arrows with letters inside represent genes and their orientation. The square with the letter X is a non-functional gene as it is missing its beginning (5′ prime sequence). Eps ORFs are designated M, N, O, and P. The site of the ISS1 insertion, which disrupted EPS 352 production, is indicated by an downward pointing arrow that points to a position in Eps N.

FIGS. 5 A-G shows the DNA and amino acid sequence of the entire EPS operon from upstream of the promoter to downstream of the terminator (SEQ ID NO: 1, and the corresponding complementary strand). This sequence is 6850 bp in length. The starts of the open reading frames are labeled with the gene name (corresponding to FIG. 4) printed in the right margin.

FIG. 6 shows the nucleic acid sequence of Eps U (SEQ ID NO: 15). The start and stop codons are underlined.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions and Abbreviations

Unless otherwise noted, technical terms are used according to conventional usage. Definitions of common terms in molecular biology may be found in Benjamin Lewin, Genes VII, Oxford University Press, 1999 (ISBN 0-19-879276-X); Kendrew et al. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology Blackwell Science Ltd., 1994 (ISBN 0-02192-9); and Robert A. Meyers (ed.), Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: a Comprehensive Desk Reference, VCH Publishers, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 1-56081-569-8).

W/V means weight per unit volume.

kDa means kilodaltons.

MWCO means molecular weight cutoff

TCA means trichloroacetic acid.

Mol % means molar percent

mPA-s means millipascals

n.d. means none detected.

Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352 (“Ropy 352”) is the organism deposited under the Budapest Treaty as USDA-ARS-NCAUR-NRRL deposit number NRRL B-30229. Ropy 352 has the characteristic property of producing the exopolysaccharide EPS 352 under suitable growth conditions, e.g., streaked onto whey agar or defined lactococcal medium containing glucose agar plates and incubated at 30° C.

EPS 352 is an exopolysaccharide that is produced by Ropy 352 and that has the following characteristics:

Composition: Glucose: range of 54% to 58% Galactose: range of 42% to 46% Charged: Yes Molecular weight: range of 800,000 to 8,000,000 (average of 1,600,000) Phosphorous: Present in backbone or sidechain Structure: Endpoints: galactose; Branchpoints: glucose

Several gene products are required for EPS 352 biosynthesis. The EPS biosynthetic genes are located extrachromasomally on the EPS 352 plasmid. Precedent indicates that these genes are organized in an operon like fashion.

EPS 352 plasmid is an extrachromosomal plasmid of approximately 32 kb in size that carries the EPS 352 biosynthetic genes. Current methods used to estimate plasmid size are not exact. For instance, the perceived size of a plasmid may be effected by the degree of relaxation of the plasmid and the degree to which proteins may be associated with the plasmid. Thus, the EPS 352 plasmid is believed to be about 32 kb in size, and may be, for example, from 30 to 38 kb in size. Several research groups have linked EPS biosynthesis with plasmids of various sizes: 6.8 kb, 25.8 kb, 28 kb, 40.2 kb, and 45.5 kb (Vescovo et al., Biotech. Letters II 10:709-712, 1989; Neve et al., Biochimie 70:437-442, 1988; Vedamuthu et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 51:677-682, 1986; Kranenburg et al. Mol. Microbiol. 24:387-397, 1997; and Von Wright et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 53:1385-1386, 1987).

Food means any eatable or drinkable substance consumed by humans or animals, e.g., milk, cream, dairy products, soy products, fruit juice, vegetable juices, ice cream, soups, etc.

Food Product means any food that is produced by altering its original state, e.g., milk to which has been added EPS 352.

Milk is used broadly herein to include all dairy products regardless of fat content or lactose content. The term as used herein also includes substances commonly used in place of milk, such as soy used as “soy milk”. The term also includes milk products from animals other than cows, including goat milk.

Liquid as used herein includes fluids with varying degrees of fluidity including highly fluid liquids such as non-fat milk, thicker liquids such as full fat milk and cream, semi-solid substances, and gels such as yogurt and other fermented milk products. A liquid may be altered from its original state to produce an altered liquid, e.g., an adhesive solution, a paint emulsion, a lubricant, or a fruit juice to which EPS 352 has been added.

A Milk-Based liquid is any liquid wherein milk forms an appreciable percentage of the total volume of the liquid. For example, a liquid having 0.10% or more of milk solids.

A Soy-Based liquid is any liquid wherein soy forms an appreciable percentage of the total volume of the liquid. For example, a liquid having 0.10% or more of soy solids

To Thicken means to decrease fluidity and increase viscosity.

Thickener means any substance used to thicken, including, for instance, exopolysaccharides. A thickener may be produced by organisms cultured within a medium or may be added exogenously to a medium.

Mouth-feel is a term of art used in the food industry to describe sensory characteristics of a food. It has the same meaning as the word “texture” which has been previously defined as “the composite of the structural elements of the food and the manner in which it registers with the physiological sense” (Szczesniak, J. Food Science 28:385-389, 1963), or “the composite of those properties which arise from the physical structural elements and the manner in which it registers with the physiological senses” (Sherman, J. Food Science 27:381-385, 1970).

Pharmaceutical a chemical compound or composition capable of inducing a desired therapeutic or prophylactic effect when properly administered to a subject.

Beauty care product is an externally applied product that is intended to alter the appearance of the subject to which it has been applied.

Coating agent an agent applied to the exterior surface of an object. A coating agent generally forms a thin layer on the surface of the object.

Transformed refers to a cell into which a nucleic acid molecule has been introduced by molecular biology techniques. The term encompasses all techniques by which a nucleic acid molecule might be introduced into such a cell, including transformation with plasmid vectors, transfection with viral vectors, and introduction of naked DNA by electroporation, lipofection, and particle gun acceleration.

Purified does not require absolute purity; rather, it is intended as a relative term. Thus, for example, a purified polysaccharide preparation is one in which the subject polysaccharide is more pure than in its natural environment within a cell or within a cell culture medium. Generally, a polysaccharide preparation is purified such that the polysaccharide represents at least 50% of the total polysaccharide content of the preparation.

Isolated an isolated nucleic acid has been substantially separated or purified away from other nucleic acid sequences in the cell of the organism in which the nucleic acid naturally occurs, i.e., other chromosomal and extrachromosomal DNA and RNA. The term “isolated” thus encompasses nucleic acids purified by standard nucleic acid purification methods. The term also embraces nucleic acids prepared by recombinant expression in a host cell, as well as chemically synthesized nucleic acids.

ORF is an open reading frame. An ORF is a contiguous series of nucleotide triplets coding for amino acids. These sequences are usually translatable into a peptide.

Operably linked means a first nucleic acid sequence is operably linked with a second nucleic acid sequence when the first nucleic acid sequence is placed in a functional relationship with the second nucleic acid sequence. For instance, a promoter is operably linked to a coding sequence if the promoter affects the transcription or expression of the coding sequence. Generally, operably linked DNA sequences are contiguous and, where necessary to join two protein coding regions, in the same reading frame.

Probe is an isolated nucleic acid attached to a detectable label or reporter molecule. Typical labels include radioactive isotopes, ligands, chemiluminescent agents, and enzymes.

Target Nucleic Acid is a nucleic acid that hybridizes with a probe. The conditions under which hybridization occurs may vary with the size and sequence of the probe and the target sequence.

By way of illustration, only a hybridization experiment may be performed by hybridization of a DNA probe (for example, a probe derived from the EPS 352 plasmid labeled with a chemiluminescent agent) to a target DNA molecule which has been electrophoresed in an agarose gel and transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane by Southern blotting (a technique well known in the art and described in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed., vols. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989).

Hybridization with a radio-labeled probe is generally carried out in a solution of high ionic strength such as 6×SSC at a temperature that is 20° C.-25° C. below the melting temperature, T_(m), described below. For such Southern hybridization experiments where the target DNA molecule on the Southern blot contains 10 ng of DNA or more, hybridization is typically carried out for 6-8 hours using 1-2 ng/mL radiolabeled probe. Following hybridization, the nitrocellulose filter is washed to remove background hybridization. The wash conditions should be as stringent as possible to remove background hybridization but to retain a specific hybridization signal. The term T_(m) represents the temperature above which, under the prevailing ionic conditions, the radiolabeled probe molecule will not hybridize to its target DNA molecule. The T_(m) of such a hybrid molecule may be estimated from the following equation: T _(m)=81.5° C.−16.6(log₁₀[Na⁺])+0.41(% G+C)−0.63(% formamide)−(600/1) Where 1=the length of the hybrid in base pairs. This equation is valid for concentrations of Na⁺ in the range of 0.01M to 0.4M, and it is less accurate for calculations of T_(m) in solutions of higher [Na⁺]. The equation is primarily valid for DNAs whose G+C content is in the range of 30% to 75%, and applies to hybrids greater than 100 nucleotides in length (the behavior of oligonucleotide probes is described in detail in Ch. 11 of Sambrook et al., 1989).

Generally hybridization wash conditions are classified into categories, for example very high stringency, high stringency, and low stringency. The conditions corresponding to these categories are provided below.

Very High Stringency (detects sequences that share 90% sequence identity) Hybridization in 5× SSC at 65° C. 16 hours Wash twice in 2× SSC at Room temp. 15 minutes each Wash twice in 0.2× SSC at 65° C. 20 minutes each

High Stringency (detects sequences that share 80% sequence identity or greater) Hybridization in 3× SSC at 65° C. 16 hours Wash twice in 2× SSC at Room temp. 15 minutes each Wash twice in 0.5× SSC at 55° C. 20 minutes each

Low Stringency (detects sequences that share greater than 50% sequence identity) Hybridization in 3× SSC at 65° C. 16 hours Wash twice in 2× SSC at Room temp. 20 minutes

The above example is given entirely by way of theoretical illustration. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other hybridization techniques may be utilized and that variations in experimental conditions will necessitate alternative calculations for stringency.

Conservative amino acid substitutions are those substitutions that, when made, least interfere with the properties of the original protein, i.e., the structure and especially the function of the protein is conserved and not significantly changed by such substitutions. The table below shows amino acids that may be substituted for an original amino acid in a protein and that are regarded as conservative substitutions.

TABLE 1 Original Conservative Residue Substitutions ala ser arg lys asn gln; his asp glu cys ser gln asn glu asp gly pro his asn; gln ile leu; val leu ile; val lys arg; gln; glu met leu; ile phe met; leu; tyr ser thr thr ser trp tyr tyr trp; phe val ile; leu

Conservative substitutions generally maintain (a) the structure of the polypeptide backbone in the area of the substitution, for example, as a sheet or helical conformation, (b) the charge or hydrophobicity of the molecule at the target site, or (c) the bulk of the side chain.

The substitutions which in general are expected to produce the greatest changes in protein properties will be non-conservative. For instance, changes in which (a) a hydrophilic residue, e.g., seryl or threonyl, is substituted for (or by) a hydrophobic residue, e.g., leucyl, isoleucyl, phenylaianyl, valyl or alanyl; (b) a cysteine or proline is substituted for (or by) any other residue; (c) a residue having an electropositive side chain, e.g., lysyl, arginyl, or histadyl, is substituted for (or by) an electronegative residue, e.g., glutamyl or aspartyl; or (d) a residue having a bulky side chain, e.g., phenylalanine, is substituted for (or by) one not having a side chain, e.g., glycine.

Primers are short nucleic acids, preferably DNA oligonucleotides 10 nucleotides or more in length, which are annealed to a complementary target DNA strand by nucleic acid hybridization to form a hybrid between the primer and the target DNA strand, then extended along the target DNA strand by a DNA polymerase enzyme. Primer pairs can be used for amplification of a nucleic acid sequence, e.g., by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or other nucleic-acid amplification methods known in the art.

Probes and primers as used in the present invention typically comprise at least 15 contiguous nucleotides of a known sequence. In order to enhance specificity, longer probes and primers may also be employed, such as probes and primers that comprise at least 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 150 consecutive nucleotides of the disclosed nucleic acid sequences.

Methods for preparing and using probes and primers are described in the references, for example Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2^(nd) ed., vol. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989; Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publ. Assoc. & Wiley-Intersciences, 1987; Innis et al., PCR Protocols, A Guide to Methods and Applications, 1990. PCR primer pairs can be derived from a known sequence, for example, by using computer programs intended for that purpose such as Primer (Version 0.5, 1991, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Mass.).

Recombinant nucleic acid is a sequence that is not naturally occurring or has a sequence that is made by an artificial combination of two otherwise separated segments of sequence. This artificial combination is often accomplished by chemical synthesis or, more conmmonly, by the artificial manipulation of isolated segments of nucleic acids, e.g., by genetic engineering techniques such as those described in Sambrook et al. (1989). The term recombinant includes nucleic acids that have been altered solely by addition, substitution, or deletion of a portion of the nucleic acid. Frequently, a recombinant nucleic acid may include a nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter sequence. Such a recombinant nucleic acid may be part of a vector, used to transform a cell.

Sequence identity: The similarity between two nucleic acid sequences or between two amino acid sequences is expressed in terms of the level of sequence identity shared between the sequences. Sequence identity is typically expressed in terms of percentage identity; the higher the percentage, the more similar the two sequences.

Methods for aligning sequences for comparison are well known in the art. Various programs and alignment algorithms are described in: Smith & Waterman, Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482, 1981; Needleman & Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443, 1970; Pearson & Lipman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444, 1988; Higgins & Sharp, Gene 73:237-244, 1988; Higgins & Sharp, CABIOS 5:151-153, 1989; Corpet et al., Nucleic Acids Research 16:10881-10890, 1988; Huang, et al., CABIOS 8:155-165, 1992; and Pearson et al., Methods in Molecular Biology 24:307-331, 1994. Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410, 1990, presents a detailed consideration of sequence alignment methods and homology calculations.

The NCBI Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST™) (Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410, 1990 is available from several sources, including the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NBCI, Bethesda, Md.) and on the Internet, for use in connection with the sequence analysis programs blastp, blastn, blastx, tblastn and tblastx. BLAST™ can be accessed on the interned at NBCI website. A description of how to determine sequence identity using this program is available at the web site. As used herein, sequence identity is commonly determined with the BLAST™ software set to default parameters. For instance, blastn (version 2.0) software may be used to determine sequence identity between two nucleic acid sequences using default parameters (expect=10, matrix=BLOSUM62, filter=DUST (Tatusov and Lipmann, in preparation as of Dec. 1, 1999; and Hancock and Armstrong, Comput. Appl. Biosci. 10:67-70, 1994), gap existence cost=11, per residue gap cost=1, and lambda ratio=0.85). For comparison of two polypeptides, blastp (version 2.0) software may be used with default parameters (expect 10, filter=SEG (Wootton and Federhen, Computers in Chemistry 17:149-163, 1993), matrix=BLOSUM62, gap existence cost=11, per residue gap cost=1, lambda=0.85).

For comparisons of amino acid sequences of greater than about 30 amino acids, the “Blast 2 sequences” function of the BLAST™ program is employed using the default BLOSUM62 matrix set to default parameters, (gap existence cost of 11, and a per residue gap cost of 1). When aligning short peptides (fewer than around 30 amino acids), the alignment should be performed using the Blast 2 sequences function, employing the PAM30 matrix set to default parameters (open gap 9, extension gap 1 penalties). Proteins with even greater similarity to the reference sequences will show increasing percentage identities when assessed by this method, such as at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95% sequence identity.

Methods

General Methods

The present invention utilizes standard laboratory practices for the cloning, manipulation and sequencing of nucleic acids, purification and analysis of proteins and other molecular biological and biochemical techniques, unless otherwise stipulated. Such techniques are explained in detail in standard laboratory manuals such as Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2^(nd) ed., vol. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989; and Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publ. Assoc. & Wiley-Intersciences, 1989. Other techniques specific to Lactococcus are discussed in the inventors' publications including: Dierksen et al., Genetics of Streptococci, Enterococci and Lactcocci, (Ferretti et al., eds.), 1995; Basel, Dev. Biol. Stand 585:469-480, 1995; Dierksen et al., J. Dairy Sci., 80(8):1528-1536, 1997; and Knoshaug et al., J. Dairy Sci. 83:633-640, 2000.

1. Growth and Characterization of the Ropy 352 organism.

The EPS 352 producing organism, Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352 , was isolated, classified and deposited under the Budapest Convention as USDA-ARS-NCAUR-NRRL deposit number NRRL B-30229. Ropy 352 may be obtained on demand from the USDA-ARS-NCAUR-NRRL at Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection (NRRL), National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1815 North University Street, Peoria, Ill. 61604 U.S.A. Ropy 352 was streaked onto whey agar or defined lactococcal media containing glucose (DLMG) agar. Whey agar (Vedarnuthu et al., Appl. Microbiol. 51:677-682, 1986) made as previously described with the following modifications: yeast extract (5 g, Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) and sodium β-glycerophosphate (19 g, Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.) were added to the centrifuged supernatant and the volume brought up to 600 mL. The second part of the media consisted of 15 g of agar and 3 drops of antifoam A (Sigma) in 400 mL of water. Both portions were autoclaved for 12 min, removed promptly, cooled to 50° C., mixed, and poured into sterile petri plates. DLMG agar (Molenaar et al., J. Bacteriol. 175:5438-5444, 1993.) was prepared as two parts; part one consisted of the base media which was prepared in 758 mL of water, heated to dissolve the components, mixed with 10 mL of the metals, vitamins, and nucleic acid solutions and 12 mL of 20% glucose or lactose solution, filter sterilized, and heated to 55° C. in a water bath. Part two consisted of 10 g of agar and 2 drops of antifoam A (Sigma) which were mixed into 200 mL of water, autoclaved, and cooled to 55° C. Part one was mixed into part two and poured into sterile petri plates. Ropy 352 was streaked onto plates and incubated at 30° C. to produce macroscopic, individual, EPS 352 producing colonies of Ropy 352 (procedure described in inventors' publications listed above).

The EPS 352 may be recognized by the formation of viscous ropes greater than five mm in length originating from a whey agar or DLMG agar. Whey agar plates were incubated at 30° C. for 48 h. Characteristic ropy phenotype is apparent from viscous rope greater than 5 mm formed when a colony is touched with a sterile toothpick. These ropes became visible when the colony was touched with a sterile toothpick and the toothpick was drawn away from the colony, thus, stretching the EPS 352 out. An additional way to recognize EPS 352 is by the formation of viscous ropes in liquid milk inoculated with Ropy 352 organism. Liquid milk was sterilized by steaming for 30 min and 10 mL of milk were inoculated with 0.5 mL of an overnight Ropy 352 culture. The milk was incubated for 18 hours at 30° C. and visually examined for ropy EPS expression. These viscous ropes were visualized by touching the milk with a toothpick and drawing the toothpick away from the milk.

2. Purification and Characterization of EPS 352.

An individual EPS 352 producing Ropy 352 colony from a whey agar plate was picked and used to inoculate 1 L of polysaccharide production medium in a 2.8 L Fernbach flask. The medium was cultured at 30° C. for 16 to 20 hours without shaking. The polysaccharide production medium consisted of 10% w/v nonfat milk in water, which was prepared by stirring 100 g dry milk powder into 1 L deionized water at room temperature for 1 hour and then sterilizing the mixture in an autoclave for 12 minutes at 120° C.

Ropy 352 culture broths were transferred to 500 mL centrifuge bottles and insoluble fractions were pelleted at 10 K×g for 20 minutes. Clarified supernatants were dialyzed (6-8 kDa MWCO, Spectra/Por 1; Spectrum Laboratories, Inc., Laguna Hills, Calif.) against water containing 0.02% sodium azide for at least 24 hours.

An equal volume of absolute ethanol was added to the contents of the dialysis tubing and stirred in an ice bath. Ropy 352 cultures formed a precipitate of elongated ropes that were collected by centrifugation as described above. This was termed the Ropy fraction and contained EPS 352.

From 1 L of 10% nonfat milk medium, 34 mg of total polysaccharide was recovered from Ropy 352 cultures after centrifugation and dialysis. The polysaccharide responsible for the ropy characteristic (EPS 352 ) was purified by precipitation with 50% ethanol, followed by trichloroacetic acid (TCA) removal of residual protein. This Ropy fraction contained 10 mg of polysaccharide and was essentially protein free (<20 μg/mg in the final product). The Ropy fraction also contained 2.3 μg phosphorus/mg polysaccharide.

Compositional analysis of EPS 352 revealed a repeating structure composed of approximately 54% to 58% glucose, and 42% to 46% galactose. Compositional data suggests a novel structure for EPS 352 with glucose as the branch residue and galactose located at the end points.

The predominant sugar found in EPS 352 , at 36 mol %, is (1,4)-linked glucose. The only sugar found as terminal non-reducing end groups (i.e., had a single linkage position) was galactose at 27 mol %; this quantity is indicative of a highly branched structure. A (1,4,6)-linked glucose reside was found at a concentration of 21 mol %; the three linkage sites indicate that it is a branch point in this structure. The least represented sugar was the (1,4)-linked galactose, which occurred at a concentration of 15 mol %. Results from this analysis are listed in Table 2:

TABLE 2 Identification of permethylated PAAN (Peracetylated aldononitrile) derivatives from Ropy 352 and Ropy poiysaccharides Linkage Ropy fraction from Ropy PAAN methyl sugar site 352 (mol %) 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl galactose 1 27 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl galactose 1, 4 15 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl galactose 1, 6 n.d. (none detected) 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl galactose 1, 6 n.d. 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl glucose 1, 4 36 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl glucose 1, 6 n.d. 3,4,6-tri-O-methyl mannose 1, 2 n.d. 2,3-di-O-methyl glucose 1, 4, 6 21 3,4-di-O-methyl glucose 1, 2, 6 n.d. 2,4-di-O-methyl mannose 1, 3, 6 n.d.

The degree of phosphate protonation is shown in FIG. 1. As sodium hydroxide was added to the polysaccharide solution, there was only one inflection in the titration profiles, indicating that the phosphate group in the Ropy fraction polysaccharides is in the form of a phosphodiester linkage rather than as the monoester, which would have shown 2 inflection points.

3. Viscosity of Milk Culture During 25 hour Fermentation With Ropy 352.

1 L of milk was inoculated with a single whey agar-grown colony of Ropy 352. Viscosity was measured with a Brookfield model LVTDV-I digital viscometer (Stoughton, Mass.) using a LV1 spindle.

The viscosity of the Ropy 352 culture reached a value of 44000 mPA-s at 24 hours, compared to an initial viscosity of 1 mPa-s (see Table 3). This data verifies the phenotypic observation that Ropy 352 culture thickens a liquid food product (milk).

TABLE 3 Viscosity change (in mPa-s) after 24 h. Strain Sample 0 h 24 h Ropy 352 Fermented milk 1.0 44000 No cells Milk 1.0 1.0 4. Isolation and Characterization of the Biosynthetic EPS 352 Plasmid.

The EPS 352 plasmid is a plasmid of about 32 kb in size that may be isolated from Ropy 352. A 2.2 KB fragment from the EPS 352 plasmid (FIG. 2) and a 6.85 kb fragment (FIG. 4) have been sequenced. These sequences encodes ORFs M and N which show homology to a class of sugar transfer enzymes (glycosyltransferases) known to be involved in EPS biosynthesis (FIG. 2). Several restriction endonucleases cut this plasmid, including EcoRI, EcoRV, HindIII, SacI, SphI, DraI, HincII, NdeI, Sau3AI, and SpeI.

The EPS 352 plasmid contains all biosynthetic genes coding for the enzymes needed to make EPS 352. This was demonstrated by the following experiment. The EPS 352 plasmid, containing an erythromycin resistant encoded insertion element for selection, was isolated from a culture of Ropy 352 using DNA preparation methods as described in Knoshaug et al., J. Dairy Science 83:633-640, 2000. (Ref for plasmid DNA isolation: O'Sullivan et al., Appl Environ Microbiol. 59:2730-2733, 1993). This DNA was used to transform a plasmid-free nonropy lactococcal strain, MG1363 by electroporation as described (Dornan et al., Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 11:62-64, 1990; Holo et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:3119-3123, 1989). Cells were grown for 24 hours in M17-glucose media supplemented with 0.3 M sucrose and 2% (MG1363) or 0.5% (Ropy352 ) glycine. Cells were pelleted, washed in cold 0.3 M sucrose three times, and resuspended in 200 μl of 0.3 cold M sucrose. DNA was added to the cells and the mixture was transferred to a chilled electroporation cuvette (0.2 cm gap). The cells were shocked (2.5 kV, 200 ohms, 25 μF) and resuspended in 8 mL of growth media supplemented with 0.3 M sucrose and 50 ng/mL em. Cells were allowed to recover for 1.5 hours before plating on whey agar containing 2 μg/mL em. Erythromycin resistant transformants were selected, and then screened for the ropy EPS 352 phenotype. MG1363 containing the EPS 352 plasmid was analyzed by Southern blot to verify the presence of the plasmid. The probe used was 1.6 kb long and specific to the Ropy 352 EPS ORF M and ORF N genes. Results demonstrated that the probe reacted with a 32 kb plasmid in Ropy352 (un-nicked and nicked forms) and with a 37 kb plasmid in EK356 (EPS 352 plasmid containing a 5.4 kb erythromycin resistant encoded insertion element for selection; un-nicked and nicked forms).

The southern blot analysis was additionally confirmed by testing the transformed bacteria for the Ropy phenotype. Results showed that the phenotypic carried over to the MG1363 strain.

5. Production of Food Products by Adding EPS 352 to a Food Substrate.

EPS 352 can be added to a liquid food substrate to increase viscosity and thickness of the liquid and to enhance texture and mouth-feel. Liquid food substrates may include, but are not limited to: milk (including low-fat and non-fat milk), milk-based liquids, whey-based liquids, soy-based liquids, fruit-juices, and oil-based liquids and emulsions. EPS 352 can be used to enhance the thickness and texture of, for example, yogurt, milk-shakes, fruit-juices, soy drinks, Scandinavian fermented milk products (e.g., “villi, “langfil,” and “filmjolk,”), bakery fillings, dressings, sauces and gravies. EPS 352 can also be added to solid or semi-solid food substrates to enhance the texture of, for instance, frozen foods, canned foods and cheeses. Thickness of the liquid food substrate will increase in proportion to the amount of EPS 352 added. EPS 352 may be added to any liquid food substrate in an amount necessary to produce the desired consistency. Determining an amount necessary to produce a desired consistency is a simple matter of empirical experimentation.

A specific example of a food product made using EPS 352 is a thickened, non-fermented food product that has the qualities of yogurt, but without the need for fermentation. Milk (e.g., non-fat milk) can be used as a liquid food substrate to which an amount of EPS 352 can be added, sufficient to cause thickening to a desired consistency. EPS 352 may be supplied in the form of an essentially pure powder and added directly to the milk. The powder may be mixed into the milk at room temperature using conventional methods and the mixture may then be aliquoted into sealed containers and pasteurized. Such a product would be low in fat, have a yogurt-like consistency, and would not require fermentation, a step which is time-consuming, expensive and prone to microbial contamination.

6. Production of Milk-Derived Fermented Food Products by Adding a Pure Culture of the Ropy 352 Organism to a Food Substrate and Fermenting the Mixture.

Ropy 352 can be used to produce fermented food products such as yogurt (and other products as listed above). Such products are described as probiotic (this refers to organisms who are ingested, such as the LAB, which contribute to the health and balance of the human's intestinal tract thus possibly protecting against disease and improving nutrition). During fermentation, Ropy 352 produces the EPS 352 exopolysaccharide which imparts desirable qualities to certain foods. In particular, EPS 352 gives fermented milk products a very smooth, rich mouth-feel with a slightly sweet flavor.

A specific example of a fermented food product made using Ropy 352 is yogurt. Milk (e.g., either whole, 2% or non-fat milk) can be used as a liquid food substrate to which a pure culture of Ropy 352 can be added. The culture may be fermented, for instance at 30° C. without shaking for 16 to 20 hours. The EPS 352 culture may be supplied in the form as an aliquot of liquid culture or an inoculum from an agar plate (such as milk or whey agar plate). Following fermentation, the fermented product may be aliquoted into sealed containers and pasteurized. A second specific example of a fermented food product made using Ropy 352 is a power shake for the elderly and diet shakes for the obese. Trade names such as Slimfast™ or Ensure™ can be used as a liquid food substrate to which a pure culture of Ropy 352 can be added. Both Slimfast™ and Ensure™ were inoculated with a culture of Ropy352 and incubated at 30° C. for 24 hours, respectively. The results showed that not only did Ropy 352 thicken these products, but it also added active culture (probiotic) status.

The duration and temperature of fermentation may vary. Representative temperatures may range from about 17° C. to 30° C. and duration of fermentation of a batch culture may be from about 10 to 36 hours. Alternatively, fermentation may be done as a continuous culture with portions of the fermented product being periodically removed.

7. The Use of Enzymes Derived from the EPS 352 Plasmid

Enzymes derived from the EPS 352 plasmid can be used either in vitro or in vivo to produce and or modify EPS structure. Furthermore, these enzymes can be modified through the inclusion of one or more conservative amino acid substitutions, however, such conservative amino acid substituted variants will continue to maintain the same activity of the enzyme from which they are derived.

a. in vitro

Enzymes from the EPS 352 plasmid can be combined with other enzymes and substrates in vivo, such that an EPS is produced with the desired characteristics. In vitro production of an EPS involves provide the isolated enzymes that are to be used in the synthesis as well as the various substrates necessary for the production of the EPS. Detailed examples of EPS production in vitro are well known in the art and can be found for example in Bossia et al., Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand) 42(5):737-58, 1996 and Semino et al., J Gen Microbiol 139 (Pt 11):2745-56, 1993.

b. in vivo

The enzymes produced from the expression of ORFs, such as ORF M (SEQ ID NO: 13), ORF N (SEQ ID NO: 14), ORF O (SEQ ID NO: 9), and ORF P (SEQ ID NO: 10) that are derived from the EPS 352 plasmid can be placed under the control of heterologous control sequences. Such control sequences can be selected from constituative promoters, inducible promoters, enhancers, and various terminators. Together the control sequence(s) operably linked to the ORF is termed the “transgene”. The transgene can then be transformed into a host organism that supports the production of an EPS. Upon expression of the protein from the transgene at least a portion of the EPS generated from the transformed host organism will be distinct from the non-transformed host organism.

It is also possible that the control sequences found in the EPS 352 plasmid can be used to express one of more of the ORF from the EPS 352 plasmid. Used in this way the “transgene” generated will be the result of using recombinant DNA technology to manipulate the endogenous EPS 352 plasmid such that the naturally occurring EPS 352 plasmid is not intact. Such transgenes result from the introduction of additional copies of one or more of the ORFs that are in the naturally occurring EPS 352 plasmid. It is also possible that enzymes from other EPS producing organisms will be introduced into the EPS 352 operon such that the host cell expresses an EPS that is distinct from the Ropy 352 disclosed herein.

EXAMPLES

1. Production of a Thickened Milk Product by Adding a Pure Culture of the Ropy 352 Organism to Milk and Fermenting the Mixture.

Ropy EPS 352 was expressed on plates containing whey agar and in liquid milk. The whey agar plates were incubated at 30° C. for 48 hours. Colonies were then touched with a sterile toothpick to test for Ropy EPS 352 expression. Liquid milk was sterilized by steaming for 30 minutes. 10 mL of the sterilized milk were then inoculated with 0.5 mL of an overnight pure culture of the Ropy 352 organism. The milk was incubated for 18 hours at 30° C. and visually examined for coagulation and ropy EPS 352 expression. Ropiness was indicated using a sterile glass rod to pull ropes from the milk.

2. Production of a Thickened Liquid Product by Adding a Pure Culture of the Ropy 352 Organism to Power Drinks Designed for the Elderly and Diet Drinks Designed for the Obese.

Ropy 352 was grown and EPS 352 was expressed in Slim Fast™ (Slim-Fast Foods Co., West Palm Beach, Fla.) chocolate diet drink and Ensure™ (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill.) chocolate fortified drink. Slim Fast™ and Ensure™ drinks were inoculated with Ropy 352 and incubated for 18 hours at 30° C. and visually examined for coagulation and ropy EPS 352 expression. Ropiness was determined using a sterile glass rod to pull ropes from the milk, and by visually examining how the fermented liquid poured from a flask.

3. Use of the EPS 352 Plasmid to Transform Cells and to Produce EPS 352.

The EPS 352 plasmid, containing an erythromycin resistant encoded insertion element for detection, was isolated from a culture of Ropy 352 using DNA preparation methods as described in Knoshaug et al., J. Dairy Sci. 83:633-640, 2000 (and as referred to in the methods section of this document). This DNA was used to transform a plasmid-free nonropy lactococcal strain, MG1363. Erythromycin resistant transformants were selected, and then screened for the ropy EPS 352 phenotype. Those displaying the ropy EPS 352 phenotype were Gram stained to verify that Gram positive cocci were present. MG1363 containing the EPS 352 plasmid was analyzed by Southern blot to verify the presence of EPS 352 plasmid. Presence of the EPS 352 plasmid in MG1363 correlated to the acquisition of the ropy EPS 352 phenotype.

4. Use of EPS 352 as a Substitute for Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is a high molecular weight polysaccharide derived from Xanthomonas Campestris. It contains D-glucose, D-mannose, and D-glucuronic acid as the dominant hexose units. For a more detailed discussion of the composition, physical and chemical properties, preparation, etc. of xanthan gum, see the following publications: Federal Register, Vol. 34, No. 53, Mar. 19, 1969, Subchapter B, Part 121, Subpart D; Keltrol, Technical Bulletin DB No. 18, Kelco Company, Clark, N.J.

Xanthan gum is currently used in a variety of compounds, as is evidenced by the fact that a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office website on the Internet for “xanthan gum” in the claims of U.S. patents that have issued since 1976 identified 1,276 patents. These patents show xanthan gum being used in sprayable cleaning compositions (U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,743), hair conditioning shampoo (U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,739), ballpoint pen ink (U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,175), time-specific controlled release dosage formulations (U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,474), to improve gloss retention of surfactants (U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,142), as wells as for many other purposes.

5. Enzymatic Activity of the Enzymes Produced by the EPS 352 Plasmid

The EPS plasmid contains at least 5 previously unidentified open reading frames encoding 5 previously unidentified enzymes (O, P, M, N, and U, which are provided in SEQ ID NOS: 9, 10, 13, 14, and 16, respectively). Sequence analysis using Blast™ searching indicates that the “M” enzyme (SEQ ID NO: 13) is a glycosyltransferase enzyme. Methods of testing glycosyltransferase activity are well known in the art and described in: van Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(1):338-340, 1999; Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(11):6347-6353, 1999; Stingele et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(20):6354-6360, 1999; Kolkman et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(13): 3736-3741 1996; Kolkman et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272(31):19502-19508; Breton, et al., Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 9:563-571, 1999; and Griffiths et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273(19): 11752-11757, 1998, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Similarly, sequence analysis using Blast™ searching indicates that the “P” enzyme (SEQ ID NO: 10) is a polysaccharide polymerase. Methods of testing polysaccharide polymerase activity are well known in the art and described in: Gonzalez et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 95:13477-13482, 1998; Stevenson et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(16):4885-4893, 1996; and Glucksmann et al., J. Bacteriol. 175(21):7045-7055, 1993, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Sequence analysis using Blast™ searching indicates that the “N” enzyme (SEQ. ID. NO: 12 and 14) is a galactosyltransferase enzyme. Methods of testing jgalactosyltransferase activity are well known in the art and described in: van Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(1):338-340,1999; Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(11):6347-6353, 1999; Stingele et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(20):6354-6360, 1999; Kolkman et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(13):3736-3741, 1996; Kolkman, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272(31):19502-19508, 1997; Breton et al., Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 9:563-571, 1999; and Griffiths et al., J.Biol. Chem. 273(19):11752-11757, 1998, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Sequence analysis using Blast™ searching indicates that the “O” enzyme (SEQ ID NO: 9) is a multi-unit transporting or exporter enzyme. Methods of testing activity are well known in the art and described in: Stevenson et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(16): 4885-4893, 1996; Glucksmann et al., J. Bacteriol. 175(21): 7045-7055, 1993; and Smith et al., Mol. Microbiol. 4(11): 1863-1869, 1990, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Finally, sequence analysis using Blast™ searching indicates that the “U” enzyme (SEQ ID NO: 15) is a glycosyltransferase/exporter enzyme. Methods of testing glycosyltransferase/exporter activity are well known in the art and described in: Stevenson et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(16): 4885-4893, 1996; Glucksmann et al., J. Bacteriol. 175(21): 7045-7055, 1993; Smith et al., Mol. Microbiol. 4(11): 1863-1869, 190; van Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(1): 338-340, 1999; Kranenburg et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(11): 6347-6353, 1999; Stingele et al., J. Bacteriol. 181(20): 6354-6360, 1999.; Kolkman et al., J. Bacteriol. 178(13): 3736-3741, 1996; Kolkman et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272(31): 19502-19508, 1997; Breton et al., Struct. Biol. 9:563-571, 1999; and Griffiths et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273(19): 11752-11757, 1998, which are herein incorporated by reference.

Having illustrated and described the principles of the invention in multiple embodiments and examples, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. The invention encompasses all modifications coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims. 

1. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising at least 95% sequence identity to nucleotides 1336-2322 of SEQ ID NO: 12, wherein the nucleic acid molecule encodes a protein having galactosyltransferase activity.
 2. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the isolated nucleic acid molecule comprises nucleotides 1336-2322 of SEQ ID NO:
 12. 3. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, further comprising a detectable label.
 4. A method of detecting a nucleic sequence encoding a polypeptide having galactosyltransferase activity, comprising: contacting the nucleic acid sequence with the isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 3 under conditions wherein the isolated nucleic acid molecule hybridizes with the nucleic acid sequence, wherein the conditions comprises hybridizing in 5×SSC at 65° C. for 16 hours, washing twice in 2×SSC at room temperature for 15 minutes each, and washing twice in 0.2×SSC at 65° C. for 20 minutes; and detecting said nucleic acid.
 5. A recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising a promoter sequence operably linked to the isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim
 1. 6. A cell transformed with the recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim
 5. 7. A transgenic bacteria comprising the recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim
 5. 8. A method of producing a protein, comprising: culturing the cell of claim 6, wherein the cell expresses, from the recombinant nucleic acid molecule, a protein having galactosyltransferase activity; and isolating the protein.
 9. An isolated plasmid of approximately 20 kb wherein the plasmid comprises a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least 95% sequence identity to nucleotides 1336-2322 of SEQ ID NO: 12 isolated from Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352, wherein transformation of Lactococcus MG1363 with the plasmid results in production of a ropy polysaccharide, wherein the polysaccharide characteristics comprise: Composition: Glucose: range of 54% to 58% Galactose: range of 42% to 46% Charged: Yes Molecular weight: range of 800,000 to 8,000,000 Phosphorous: Present in backbone or sidechain Structure: endpoints: galactose; branchpoints: glucose.


10. The isolated plasmid of claim 9, further comprising a detectable label.
 11. A method of detecting a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having galactosyltransferase activity, comprising: contacting the nucleic acid with the isolated plasmid of claim 10 under conditions wherein the isolated plasmid hybridizes with the nucleic acid, wherein the conditions comprise hybridizing in 5×SSC at 65° C. for 16 hours, washing twice in 2×SSC at room temperature for 15 minutes each, and washing twice in 0.2×SSC at 65° C. for 20 minutes; and detecting said nucleic acid.
 12. An isolated cell transformed with the plasmid of claim
 9. 13. The isolated cell of claim 12, wherein the cell is a bacterial cell, a yeast cell, a fungal cell, an animal cell, or a plant cell.
 14. A method of producing a protein, comprising: culturing the cell of claim 12, wherein the cell expresses a protein having galactosyltransferase activity from the plasmid; and isolating the protein.
 15. The isolated plasmid of claim 9, wherein the plasmid is isolated from Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris Ropy 352, as deposited with the USDA-ARS-NCAUR-NRRL as deposit accession number NRRL B-30229. 